Moscow: Russian airlines, including state-controlled aeroflotFour industry sources told Reuters they are stripping jetliners to secure spare parts, which they can no longer buy overseas because of Western sanctions.
The moves are in line with advice provided by the Russian government in June to ensure that the remaining foreign-made aircraft can continue flying until at least 2025.
The sanctions imposed on Russia after sending its troops to Ukraine in late February have prevented its airlines from receiving spare parts or undergoing maintenance in the West.
Aviation experts have said Russian airlines may start taking parts to keep their planes flyable, but these are the first detailed examples.
A source familiar with the matter said that at least one Russian-made Sukhoi Superjet 100 and one Airbus A350, both operated by Aeroflot, are currently being grounded and disassembled.
The source declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the issue.
The source said the Airbus A350 is almost brand new.
Most of Russia’s aircraft fleet consists of Western passenger jets.
The source said the equipment was being sourced from a couple of Aeroflot’s Boeing 737s and Airbus A320s, as the carrier requires more spare parts for its other Boeing 737s and Airbus A320s from those models.
The Russian Ministry of Transport and Aeroflot did not respond to requests for comment.
‘It’s just a matter of time’
Sukhoi Superjets assembled in Russia are also heavily dependent on foreign components. The first source said an engine has already been removed from one superjet to allow the second superjet to continue flying.
To be sure, engines are frequently swapped between aircraft and are usually supplied under separate contracts, industry experts said. They are not considered part of the core airframe.
A source in the Western aviation industry said it was “only a matter of time” before Russia-based planes can be cannibalized.
The new generation of jets – the A320neo, A350 and Boeing 737 MAX and 787 – have technology that needs to be constantly updated.
Western sources have said it would be a “challenge” for Russia’s highly developed and capable engineering base to keep the modern jet in service within a year of the ban coming into force.
The practice of removing parts to fly another aircraft is commonly referred to as turning unusable aircraft into “Christmas trees”. Although relatively rare, it is often associated with financial difficulties and has never occurred on the same scale as predicted by Russia’s sweeping reshuffle to offset the effects of sanctions.
Jetliners can be restarted provided the removed parts are put back, although this will not necessarily restore the traceability required for jets to re-enter global markets.
Many parts have a limited life that must be logged.
Boeing and Airbus comprise about 80% of Aeroflot’s fleet – there are 134 Boeing and 146 Airbus aircraft, as well as about 80 Russian-made Sukhoi Superjet-100 aircraft as of the end of last year, based on the latest data available.
Some 50 Aeroflot aircraft – or 15% of its fleet, including jets stranded by restrictions – have not taken off since late July, according to Reuters calculations based on data from Flightradar24.
Three of the seven Airbus A350s operated by Aeroflot, one of which is now being used for parts, did not fly for nearly three months, Flightradar24 data shows.
A second industry source said Russian carriers are flying fewer routes due to Western sanctions, meaning unused jets could be grounded.
“Western manufacturers understand that almost all superjets are being operated in Russia,” said Oleg Panteleev, head of the Aviaport aviation think-tank. “You can just stop producing and shipping spare parts – and that will hurt.”
solution
The Russian aviation industry’s growth plan by 2030 forecasts that Russia may face the biggest challenges with the A350 and Bombardier Q series as maintenance on them is carried out overseas.
The advice of the Russian government envisages “partially liquidating a certain part of the aircraft fleet”, which will keep two thirds of the foreign fleet operational by the end of 2025.
Panteleev said the main challenge would be to keep the engine and sophisticated electronic components in working condition.
“It would be hard to repair them,” he said.
Aeroflot, once one of the world’s top airlines but now relying on state support, experienced a 22% drop in traffic in the second quarter of this year compared to a year ago, company data showed. Following the restrictions, it was barred from flying to most western destinations.
Sources said securing supplies from countries that have not imposed sanctions on Russia is unlikely to help, as companies in Asia and the Middle East are at risk of secondary sanctions against them by Western governments.
“Each part has its own (unique) number and if the documents will have a Russian airline as the final buyer, no one will agree to supply, neither China nor Dubai,” said the first source. The first source said, “All parts to be assembled must be communicated to Boeing and Airbus before being supplied to the end user.”
The moves are in line with advice provided by the Russian government in June to ensure that the remaining foreign-made aircraft can continue flying until at least 2025.
The sanctions imposed on Russia after sending its troops to Ukraine in late February have prevented its airlines from receiving spare parts or undergoing maintenance in the West.
Aviation experts have said Russian airlines may start taking parts to keep their planes flyable, but these are the first detailed examples.
A source familiar with the matter said that at least one Russian-made Sukhoi Superjet 100 and one Airbus A350, both operated by Aeroflot, are currently being grounded and disassembled.
The source declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the issue.
The source said the Airbus A350 is almost brand new.
Most of Russia’s aircraft fleet consists of Western passenger jets.
The source said the equipment was being sourced from a couple of Aeroflot’s Boeing 737s and Airbus A320s, as the carrier requires more spare parts for its other Boeing 737s and Airbus A320s from those models.
The Russian Ministry of Transport and Aeroflot did not respond to requests for comment.
‘It’s just a matter of time’
Sukhoi Superjets assembled in Russia are also heavily dependent on foreign components. The first source said an engine has already been removed from one superjet to allow the second superjet to continue flying.
To be sure, engines are frequently swapped between aircraft and are usually supplied under separate contracts, industry experts said. They are not considered part of the core airframe.
A source in the Western aviation industry said it was “only a matter of time” before Russia-based planes can be cannibalized.
The new generation of jets – the A320neo, A350 and Boeing 737 MAX and 787 – have technology that needs to be constantly updated.
Western sources have said it would be a “challenge” for Russia’s highly developed and capable engineering base to keep the modern jet in service within a year of the ban coming into force.
The practice of removing parts to fly another aircraft is commonly referred to as turning unusable aircraft into “Christmas trees”. Although relatively rare, it is often associated with financial difficulties and has never occurred on the same scale as predicted by Russia’s sweeping reshuffle to offset the effects of sanctions.
Jetliners can be restarted provided the removed parts are put back, although this will not necessarily restore the traceability required for jets to re-enter global markets.
Many parts have a limited life that must be logged.
Boeing and Airbus comprise about 80% of Aeroflot’s fleet – there are 134 Boeing and 146 Airbus aircraft, as well as about 80 Russian-made Sukhoi Superjet-100 aircraft as of the end of last year, based on the latest data available.
Some 50 Aeroflot aircraft – or 15% of its fleet, including jets stranded by restrictions – have not taken off since late July, according to Reuters calculations based on data from Flightradar24.
Three of the seven Airbus A350s operated by Aeroflot, one of which is now being used for parts, did not fly for nearly three months, Flightradar24 data shows.
A second industry source said Russian carriers are flying fewer routes due to Western sanctions, meaning unused jets could be grounded.
“Western manufacturers understand that almost all superjets are being operated in Russia,” said Oleg Panteleev, head of the Aviaport aviation think-tank. “You can just stop producing and shipping spare parts – and that will hurt.”
solution
The Russian aviation industry’s growth plan by 2030 forecasts that Russia may face the biggest challenges with the A350 and Bombardier Q series as maintenance on them is carried out overseas.
The advice of the Russian government envisages “partially liquidating a certain part of the aircraft fleet”, which will keep two thirds of the foreign fleet operational by the end of 2025.
Panteleev said the main challenge would be to keep the engine and sophisticated electronic components in working condition.
“It would be hard to repair them,” he said.
Aeroflot, once one of the world’s top airlines but now relying on state support, experienced a 22% drop in traffic in the second quarter of this year compared to a year ago, company data showed. Following the restrictions, it was barred from flying to most western destinations.
Sources said securing supplies from countries that have not imposed sanctions on Russia is unlikely to help, as companies in Asia and the Middle East are at risk of secondary sanctions against them by Western governments.
“Each part has its own (unique) number and if the documents will have a Russian airline as the final buyer, no one will agree to supply, neither China nor Dubai,” said the first source. The first source said, “All parts to be assembled must be communicated to Boeing and Airbus before being supplied to the end user.”